Under our radar, this week is yet another celebrated and censored classic- The Handmaid’s Tale- A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault. The Arthur C. Clarke Award (1987) and the Governor General’s Literacy Award for English-language fiction (1985), The Handmaid’s Tale narrates the story of Offred- a patronym allotted by the new oppressive regime of the New Republic of Gilead. She is a handmaid.
Handmaids of Gilead are denied their identity and barred from holding any jobs, reading, and making any friends. They are forced to produce children by proxy for infertile women of much higher social rank- wives of Commanders.
These women are only valued for their ability to foster children and are forced to undergo regular medical tests. Abortion in Gilead is banned.
Throughout the narrative, Offred recounts her life before Gilead became a reality- a life where she had a husband, a daughter, a job, a life. Later, she becomes a witness to the cessation of the old America into a patriarchal, white supremacist, totalitarian, and theonomic state.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a daring exploration of the United States in a parallel universe with forecasts of what the future may hold for us. It has been one of the biggest titles in classic and modern literature to be removed from schools and libraries in the United States.
Perceived as “sexually explicit” and “unacceptable”, The Handmaid’s Tale was allowed to be vetoed by parents in Madison County, Virginia along with Texas and Oregon.
The Handmaid’s Tale- a Moral Corruption
In the words of Margaret Atwood “…ban my book to those who seek to stop young people from reading…it will only make them want to read it more”. While the acts of the ban have been highly perplexing in themselves, the fact the text is, in parts, inspired by the Bible: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15) is also highly ironic.
So, could it be that those responsible for the ban missed out on the core message of the text being against any totalitarian control and cloaked figures of supposed religiousness who strip women of their identity and limit them to being reproductive tools?
Aftermath of Censorship
While the importance of segregating content based on its nature and age-appropriateness cannot and should not be ignored, the complete denial of access to them robs readers of their core fundamental rights and freedom.
The Handmaid’s Tale- A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Atwood leaves it to her readers to paint the picture of the redness of the Handmaids’ cloaks, the fear, and apprehension in the eyes, and the neatly reared gardens of the Commanders’ wives. Renee takes matters into her own hands and adds to the text her epochal images and art. The omnipresent Gileadean Eye is transfixed in the minds of her readers. There is no doubt that the adaptation has also come under the crossfire of censorship.
But censorship more than often misses the focal point- any book containing truths that make us uncomfortable are tools to enliven empathy and understanding. They are vessels through which we look at the flaws of our society and sow seeds in the minds of generations holding the potential of change.
In this week’s reading of the banned book, The Handmaid’s Tale- A Graphic Novel Adaptation, we shun the discomfort and acknowledge that art is resistance. It is the transformative and transcendental power of literature and art of any kind. It reminds us time and again to uphold and protect our freedom to read and explore these narratives while holding our grounds against banal censorship and social bondage.